Ngai Tahu and kelp

Tiny Metzger of Bluff makes poha titi from kelp in the same way his tupuna did i nga wa o mua and knows where to collect the live kelp needed to line the totara bark vessels in which the muttonbirds are stored.
He'll have thoughts about the Government's action in opening the kelp beds up for commercial exploitation, though I don't know them. I can guess though.
Here,  Alicia Hebbend raises concerns from Ngai Tahu Tribal Council senior fisheries advisor Nigel Scott, who says that he was disappointed that iwi concerns had been ignored over the granting of quota to harvest live kelp.

"The Kelp Bladder provides a unique environment and habitat for sea creatures like fish and crayfish that they rely on". Mr Scott said.

Maori Fisheries will receive 20 per cent of the quota.


“I’m picking we will probably leave it in the water”, Mr Scott said.

Despite the irony of that statement, I suspect he means it and Rakiura Maori in particular, will be deeply disturbed by this exploitive move from the Government and the kelp harvesting industry.

For myself, I'm disgusted by it.

Another extractive industry gets the go-ahead

SEAWEED ASSET: Sea-Right Investments managing director Roger Beattie has high hopes for a New Zealand bladder kelp industry.

This time it's seaweed.

The Government, in its hunger for extracting as much as it can from the environment and turn it into cash, has given the go-ahead to the harvesting of kelp from along our coasts.

This is, in my opinion, an extremely short-sighted and retrograde step to take. The gathering of beach-thrown sea weed was already a restricted activity but that is now small change compared to opening up the live beds for commercial exploitation, as has just occurred.

From the Times:
"Seaweed has been added to the fisheries quota management system for the first time, potentially opening the door to a major new industry."
"Until now bladder kelp, which can grow more than 50 metres a year, could be collected only if it washed ashore or, with a special permit, harvested in small quantities.


"Yesterday's announcement follows years of lobbying by companies to allow commercial harvest of seaweed, while conservationists argued it was an important part of the marine system which should be left alone. "

Left alone indeed, but it seems the advice of the conservationists has been disregarded.

"Roger Beattie, managing director of Christchurch's Sea-Right Investments, said New Zealand's huge coastline and the worldwide market for seaweed meant the industry could be worth "hundreds of millions of dollars a year".

My question is: How much of this harvested kelp will become food for cows?